Economic Participants,
It is difficult to pick a first story today, because the global economy, our life support system, runs on fuels and other mineral substrates, which provide energy, transportation, electricity and inputs for manufacturing and agriculture. All of this is coordinated and managed through business-finance, within the paradigm of capital-investment with the expectation of the return of profits, as well as the principle invested, at some point in the future. This assumes the growth of the real economy, which requires the growth of available fuel and mineral substrates, at prices which are low enough to support the generation of profits, with which to regularly pay dividends to investors, and to occasionally return their principle upon demand.
As we know, this system often fails in specific instances of bankruptcy, and occasionally fails as a large, coherent system, as in 1929 and 2008, though the 1929 failure was managed by addressing fundamental problems and the 2008 failure was "managed" by conjuring up enough "money" to pay off all of the players, so the game could proceed as if the system remained healthy, though it was not. The promise of ongoing profits was enough to assure full participation by all economic and financial participants, as long as the system could appear to function as it had before.
The financial failure in 2008 came shortly after the peak of "conventional oil" production in 2005 or so, and oil prices rising to $140/bbl, which was unaffordable to much of the real economy, based upon an oil price of $30/bbl. A lot of assumptions failed when that fundamental price rose so high, as they had in the 1970s, when the Arab oil embargo had also caused "stagflation". Government sweeteners for investors to finance the "shale revolution" were able to bring oil prices back down, though they fluctuated between choking-the-economy when higher, and leading to oil production cuts when lower. $80/bbl seems to be a fairly narrow "sweet spot" where enough oil can be produced and the economy can be sustained.
The financial system, however, is still a Ponzi scheme, subject to sudden collapse. The financial system has been predicated upon growth of the real economy, which declined in the early 2000s and has further declined since the peak production of "net-oil-and-liquids" at the end of 2018.
Emergencies and emergency-interventions, such as the "going direct bailout" in March 2020, during COVID lockdowns, have been necessary to support the financial Ponzi, but it is tasked with appearing to grow exponentially, while real economy has long been stagnant, bumping between spurts of growth and contraction in most areas, excluding China until recently, and still excluding Russia, which has a lot of energy and other resources, and a low debt-service.
The "owners" of the western financial system re threatened by the exposure of the vast losses of the system, the huge discrepancy between notional-wealth and physical-economic-wealth. Somebody will have to "accept losses" in their portfolios, big losses. The BlackRock class of global investors want that to be the retirement and insurance companies and the retail-investors, please.
That assignment-of-losses is obviously more unfair than the recent increase in disparity between rich and poor, because a lot of people, like retirees, depend upon those assets to live every day. This will be a political determination, even though the BlackRock class has the "legal" rights, "super-senior rights" to all of the assets, which people think they "own", as Ellen Brown explains clearly and succinctly here:
"The Great Taking", How They Can Own It All https://ellenbrown.com/2023/10/03/the-great-taking-how-they-plan-to-own-it-all/
"Emergency Powers" during the COVID pandemic allowed vast, invisible creation of money, to be provided to the BlackRock-class, and the inflation followed when lockdowns ended and real-economy picked up again. That will not work when people are actually robbed of their necessities of life in a financial economy, losing large fractions of their income. War-Emergency-Powers are typically used by financial elites when the economic systems are so badly deranged, as was the case leading into WW-2.
I believe that is the precipice where we now stand, looking over the cliff at the wars in Ukraine and Palestine/Israel with trepidation.
Anthony Blinken left Doha on August 20 empty handed. He had been pushing Israel and Hamas to come to a ceasefire agreement, but the negotiations appear to have once again failed to find peace for the people in Gaza, who have suffered over 40,000 deaths and hundreds of thousands of injuries since the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas. The US supported Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his revenge attack on Gaza, which has been termed genocide by the UN. However, the US President Joe Biden administration has forcefully demanded that Netanyahu stop the war to allow Israeli hostages out of Gaza, and prevent further Palestinian deaths. Most of the dead have been women and children in Gaza.
Biden was assured by Netanyahu that he would sign a ceasefire, but at the last moment Netanyahu broke his promise to Biden, and this prompted Biden to end his re-election campaign. Biden was counting on a Gaza ceasefire to win the votes to put him in the White House for a second term, but had to admit defeat. It appears that Netanyahu is determined to wage a full-scale war against Hezbollah, the Lebanese resistance organization...
Abbas Zalzali, news anchor, media instructor, talk show host and writer: Biden was assured by Netanyahu that he would sign a ceasefire, but at the last moment Netanyahu broke his promise to Biden, and this prompted Biden to end his re-election campaign. Biden was counting on a Gaza ceasefire to win the votes to put him in the White House for a second term, but had to admit defeat. It appears that Netanyahu is determined to wage a full-scale war against Hezbollah, the Lebanese resistance organization...
"It was clear that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the green light for an escalation during his visit to Washington and his speech before the US Congress. The assassination of Hezbollah leader Fouad Shukr in the Lebanese capital Beirut is a translation of this escalation and an attempt to drag Hezbollah into a large-scale war because the Israeli leadership, since the first days of Operation Flood of Al-Aqsa on October 7, has wanted to launch a military campaign on Lebanon and has been trying since that time to separate the fronts to isolate Hamas in Gaza."...
.."All indications show that war is inevitable between Israel and Hezbollah. Israel, which received a heavy blow on October 7, wants to restore its prestige as an invincible state... If a comprehensive war does not break out this time, it will inevitably break out in the near future. Speaking of the role of the Lebanese army in the event of a war, the matter is clear: it will confront Israeli attacks in defense of the homeland because it is the homeland’s army, despite its modest capabilities and lack of the capabilities ready for such a war."......"As for Hezbollah’s response to the assassination of “Hajj Mohsen”, it is inevitable, as stated by its Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah. As for its nature and timing, the matter is subject to several details that cannot be predicted, but stopping the war on Gaza may change something in this equation.
As for Netanyahu exploiting this response when it happens to launch a large-scale war on Lebanon, it cannot be confirmed or denied because opening the northern front means a regional war. Here we ask him about the American role and American desire because everything that is happening is with American approval and participation, and whoever says otherwise is naïve." https://mideastdiscourse.com/2024/08/20/war-is-inevitable-between-israel-and-hezbollah-interview-with-abbas-zalzali/
As for Netanyahu exploiting this response when it happens to launch a large-scale war on Lebanon, it cannot be confirmed or denied because opening the northern front means a regional war. Here we ask him about the American role and American desire because everything that is happening is with American approval and participation, and whoever says otherwise is naïve." https://mideastdiscourse.com/2024/08/20/war-is-inevitable-between-israel-and-hezbollah-interview-with-abbas-zalzali/
Since the start of the week, two news items about the latest ceasefire negotiations have surfaced that seem to contradict one another.
One has gained widespread attention in the international press, claiming that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accepted the U.S. ceasefire deal, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken stating that the ball is now in Hamas’s court.
The second only gained traction in Israeli media: Netanyahu told a group of families of Israeli captives held in Gaza that he isn’t sure a ceasefire deal is going to happen because Israel would not withdraw from the Netzarim and Philadelphi corridors in Gaza “under any conditions.” ...
One has gained widespread attention in the international press, claiming that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accepted the U.S. ceasefire deal, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken stating that the ball is now in Hamas’s court.
The second only gained traction in Israeli media: Netanyahu told a group of families of Israeli captives held in Gaza that he isn’t sure a ceasefire deal is going to happen because Israel would not withdraw from the Netzarim and Philadelphi corridors in Gaza “under any conditions.” ...
..In mid-July, Egyptian and Qatari mediators called Israel and Hamas back to the table. Netanyahu sent a smaller delegation with limited powers to Cairo. The Israeli team returned to Tel Aviv hours later after an argument with Netanyahu over what was increasingly becoming the Israeli prime minister’s focus in the negotiations — the future of the Netzarim and Philadelphi corridors.
But why focus on these two areas? The answer lies in their strategic location and Israel’s vision for the future of Gaza.
The Netzarim corridor is a four-kilometer-wide strip of land in the center of Gaza that the Israeli army has cleared of inhabitants and uses as a military zone to station and move its troops. More importantly, Netzarim extends from Gaza’s eastern edge to the west, bifurcating the coastal enclave in two and thus cutting off northern Gaza from the south. The Philadelphi corridor plays a different strategic role; it’s a two-kilometer-wide strip of land along Gaza’s border with Egypt, and Israel claims that Hamas has been smuggling weapons via tunnels that run through it.
Netanyahu’s statements about holding onto those two corridors followed Blinken’s departure from Israel to Egypt, where he met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Egypt’s position was clear in the meeting: Israel has to withdraw from the Philadelphi corridor. The Egyptian presidency also said in a statement that Sisi impressed upon Blinken that it was time for a ceasefire deal to be reached followed by the international recognition of a Palestinian state as part of a two-state solution...
But why focus on these two areas? The answer lies in their strategic location and Israel’s vision for the future of Gaza.
The Netzarim corridor is a four-kilometer-wide strip of land in the center of Gaza that the Israeli army has cleared of inhabitants and uses as a military zone to station and move its troops. More importantly, Netzarim extends from Gaza’s eastern edge to the west, bifurcating the coastal enclave in two and thus cutting off northern Gaza from the south. The Philadelphi corridor plays a different strategic role; it’s a two-kilometer-wide strip of land along Gaza’s border with Egypt, and Israel claims that Hamas has been smuggling weapons via tunnels that run through it.
Netanyahu’s statements about holding onto those two corridors followed Blinken’s departure from Israel to Egypt, where he met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Egypt’s position was clear in the meeting: Israel has to withdraw from the Philadelphi corridor. The Egyptian presidency also said in a statement that Sisi impressed upon Blinken that it was time for a ceasefire deal to be reached followed by the international recognition of a Palestinian state as part of a two-state solution...
..Upon concluding his stay in Israel, Blinken said that Netanyahu assured him of Israel’s acceptance of the latest U.S. ceasefire proposal, stressing that it is up to Hamas to accept it in order to move forward to discussing implementation details. But as the timeline of events above shows, Israel has consistently undermined ceasefire talks throughout the Gaza genocide, and Netanyahu’s conditions on Philadelphi and Netzarim are just the latest ploy.
These demands are a non-starter that Hamas will be forced to reject, which is exactly what Netanyahu wants: he nominally accepted the U.S. proposal, putting the ball in Hamas’s court, but later doubled down on demands that make it impossible for Hamas to accept. https://mondoweiss.net/2024/08/netanyahus-latest-strategy-to-avoid-a-ceasefire-explained/
These demands are a non-starter that Hamas will be forced to reject, which is exactly what Netanyahu wants: he nominally accepted the U.S. proposal, putting the ball in Hamas’s court, but later doubled down on demands that make it impossible for Hamas to accept. https://mondoweiss.net/2024/08/netanyahus-latest-strategy-to-avoid-a-ceasefire-explained/
The US is still vowing that it will defend Israel from an Iranian attack and has deployed additional military assets to the Middle East for that purpose. “We are fully prepared to defend Israel,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in Tel Aviv on Monday.
Hezbollah is also vowing to respond to the July 30 Israeli airstrike in Beirut that killed one of its top military commanders, Fuad Shukr.
It would shut off most Mideast oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz. War With Iran Would Bring Global Economic Collapse, Isolate The United States https://sputnikglobe.com/20240819/war-with-iran-would-bring-global-economic-collapse-isolate-the-united-states-1119833971.html
More than half of Gaza’s cropland and a third of its greenhouses have been destroyed by the conflict, contributing to malnutrition
FAO says the devastation of Gaza’s agriculture has led to severe food insecurity, with 1 in 5 Gazans facing extreme hunger https://www.arabnews.com/node/2568195/middle-east
FAO says the devastation of Gaza’s agriculture has led to severe food insecurity, with 1 in 5 Gazans facing extreme hunger https://www.arabnews.com/node/2568195/middle-east
UN: Over 80% of Gaza’s buildings destroyed https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20240820-un-over-80-of-gazas-buildings-destroyed/
New Democratic Party Platform Pledges ‘Ironclad’ Commitment to Israel
The platform also boasts of Biden's new military interventions in the Middle East, including the bombing campaign in Yemen https://news.antiwar.com/2024/08/20/new-democratic-party-platform-pledges-ironclad-commitment-to-israel/
Rep. Thomas Massie Says Congress Members Should Not Be Dual Citizens, Gets Accused of Anti-Semitism [Current laws somehow allow this in the case of Israel.]
"This guy is just gross," Rep. Fine said. "Who in Congress is a dual citizen? I think we all know the slur he is tossing around. The real question is why certain Florida politicians choose this bigot to hang around with." https://www.informationliberation.com/?id=64605
The platform also boasts of Biden's new military interventions in the Middle East, including the bombing campaign in Yemen https://news.antiwar.com/2024/08/20/new-democratic-party-platform-pledges-ironclad-commitment-to-israel/
Congressman Thomas Massie (R-KY) is being accused of anti-Semitism for stating that members of the US Congress should not be allowed to hold dual citizenship with other countries.
"Dual citizens elected to United States Congress should renounce citizenship in all other countries," Massie said Monday on X. "At a minimum, they should disclose their citizenship in other countries and abstain from votes specifically benefitting those countries."...
..Though Massie didn't call out any country by name, he was immediately accused of anti-Semitism by Jewish Florida State Rep. Randy Fine (R). "Dual citizens elected to United States Congress should renounce citizenship in all other countries," Massie said Monday on X. "At a minimum, they should disclose their citizenship in other countries and abstain from votes specifically benefitting those countries."...
"This guy is just gross," Rep. Fine said. "Who in Congress is a dual citizen? I think we all know the slur he is tossing around. The real question is why certain Florida politicians choose this bigot to hang around with." https://www.informationliberation.com/?id=64605
Let’s make it clear because its not obvious to most people: neither human nor artificial intelligence can lessen our energy woes, let alone ‘address pressing national and global challenges’. We are facing a mounting net energy dilemma, where less energy means, less resources, and well, a much smaller economy. Mining is still powered by fossil fuels, and vice verse — so, the less minerals we mine, the less energy we can produce. We need low cost energy to mine minerals, and low cost minerals to obtain energy. Take any of these away, and there goes your economy…
Problem is, as rich deposits deplete, it takes more and more energy to get into the next reserve and deliver the next batch of oil, uranium, silicon or copper. Thanks to four decades of rampant globalization, minerals (especially oil) production is in the same net energy dilemma everywhere. Simply put we have used up the best of our resources already — taking millions of years to form in Earth’s crust — and now we’re stuck with the scrapings left behind by an industrial scale exploitation of this planet... All this at the same time when we would need more energy than ever to fuel “the runaway train of AI’s energy consumption”... ..Energy and resource depletion, resulting in a skyrocketing energy demand just to keep raw material output flat, is thus a predicament with an outcome — not a problem in search of a solution. We have burned through a colossal amount of resources in less than eighty years since the end of WWII, and now we not only face climate deterioration as a result, but risk an outright ecological collapse. https://thehonestsorcerer.substack.com/p/an-ai-takeover-not
Problem is, as rich deposits deplete, it takes more and more energy to get into the next reserve and deliver the next batch of oil, uranium, silicon or copper. Thanks to four decades of rampant globalization, minerals (especially oil) production is in the same net energy dilemma everywhere. Simply put we have used up the best of our resources already — taking millions of years to form in Earth’s crust — and now we’re stuck with the scrapings left behind by an industrial scale exploitation of this planet... All this at the same time when we would need more energy than ever to fuel “the runaway train of AI’s energy consumption”... ..Energy and resource depletion, resulting in a skyrocketing energy demand just to keep raw material output flat, is thus a predicament with an outcome — not a problem in search of a solution. We have burned through a colossal amount of resources in less than eighty years since the end of WWII, and now we not only face climate deterioration as a result, but risk an outright ecological collapse. https://thehonestsorcerer.substack.com/p/an-ai-takeover-not
Surplus Energy Economics, The mythology of growth, EVEN IN THE GOOD TIMES, THE ECONOMY BARELY OUT-GREW POPULATION
This has been, by intention, a retrospective review of economic trends dating back to 1980. But most of us are interested, not just in where we’ve come from, but in where we’re going.
The ‘big factors’ that emerge from our retrospective analysis can be listed as follows.
1. Both the non-energy resource base and the ex-cost economic value of energy have been depleting markedly, trends greatly exacerbated by relentless increases in population numbers.
2. Most of the “growth” reported in financial aggregates has been cosmetic, a product of ignoring debt and other liabilities, disregarding ECoE, and excluding natural resource depletion from our measurement of economic output.
3. Four decades of reported “growth” have, in fact, seen material economic prosperity barely outperform the rate of growth in the global population.
These underlying trends are continuing. Comparing 2040 with 2023, we can expect the Energy Cost of Energy to rise by about 75%, and the conversion ratio of natural resources into economic value to continue to decrease. Significantly, aggregate energy production is likely to decline, with falls in fossil fuels output only partly offset by increases in the supply of renewables.
On this basis, the aggregate of material economic output is likely to fall by around 18%.
If population numbers continue to increase – albeit at a decelerating rate – the World’s average person is likely to be fully 27% less prosperous in 2040 than he or she is today. At the same time, the cost of necessities per capita is projected to be about 40% higher in 2040 than it is today.
As well as pushing the affordability of discretionary (non-essential) products and services sharply downwards, this trend will undermine the ability of households to support their enormously-expanded commitments to the financial system. ["pay bills"]
If past form is anything to go by, decision-makers, far from accepting actual economic reality and acting accordingly, are likely to carry on trying to stimulate the material economy with monetary tools.
On this basis, a “GFC II” sequel to the global financial crisis of 2008-09 has now been hard-wired into the system.
The decisions that we make are ours alone, but the effectiveness of our choices – financial, occupational, political, social and perhaps even geographical – can only be enhanced if we opt for facts in preference to myths. https://surplusenergyeconomics.wordpress.com/2024/08/20/287-the-mythology-of-growth/
The ‘big factors’ that emerge from our retrospective analysis can be listed as follows.
1. Both the non-energy resource base and the ex-cost economic value of energy have been depleting markedly, trends greatly exacerbated by relentless increases in population numbers.
2. Most of the “growth” reported in financial aggregates has been cosmetic, a product of ignoring debt and other liabilities, disregarding ECoE, and excluding natural resource depletion from our measurement of economic output.
3. Four decades of reported “growth” have, in fact, seen material economic prosperity barely outperform the rate of growth in the global population.
These underlying trends are continuing. Comparing 2040 with 2023, we can expect the Energy Cost of Energy to rise by about 75%, and the conversion ratio of natural resources into economic value to continue to decrease. Significantly, aggregate energy production is likely to decline, with falls in fossil fuels output only partly offset by increases in the supply of renewables.
On this basis, the aggregate of material economic output is likely to fall by around 18%.
If population numbers continue to increase – albeit at a decelerating rate – the World’s average person is likely to be fully 27% less prosperous in 2040 than he or she is today. At the same time, the cost of necessities per capita is projected to be about 40% higher in 2040 than it is today.
As well as pushing the affordability of discretionary (non-essential) products and services sharply downwards, this trend will undermine the ability of households to support their enormously-expanded commitments to the financial system. ["pay bills"]
If past form is anything to go by, decision-makers, far from accepting actual economic reality and acting accordingly, are likely to carry on trying to stimulate the material economy with monetary tools.
On this basis, a “GFC II” sequel to the global financial crisis of 2008-09 has now been hard-wired into the system.
The decisions that we make are ours alone, but the effectiveness of our choices – financial, occupational, political, social and perhaps even geographical – can only be enhanced if we opt for facts in preference to myths. https://surplusenergyeconomics.wordpress.com/2024/08/20/287-the-mythology-of-growth/
Charles Hugh Smith advocates adjusting now to a less-plush future. You Say You Want a Revolution, Owning nothing isn't happiness. Owning control of one's life and purpose is happiness. I've recently covered the current version of this doing-the-minimum form of opting out: The Anti-Consumers. https://charleshughsmith.substack.com/p/you-say-you-want-a-revolution
Josh sends two articles, derived from one article for Chinese distribution. I find a lot of gaps and assumptions in the first one, and neither seems to look at the fundamental importance of energy and other resources. The first one is introductory, and I'd like to pull an important concept from the second, for our consideration. I am not advocating the acceptance of this presentation as reliable political fact, which I doubt, but the "Communitarian" concept is "an idea whose time has come" for our world. A lot of the descriptive statements might be clearer in Chinese, or not, and I wonder how to accomplish them. Who decides what is "just right"?
“Internationally, the main contradiction [China faces] is between the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and American hegemony.” https://www.sinification.com/p/yan-yilong-on-american-hegemony-part
"China's overall strategy is not to collide head-on but to maintain strategic composure, continuously enhance its strength, and exhaust the opponent's power" “Regardless of the form of hegemony, whether based on coercion or consent, prioritising national interests or professing to serve ‘universal interests,’ it always has two characteristics: inequality and rent-seeking, extracting extra profits from other countries. China's rise does not represent a new hegemony because Chinese civilisation differs from Western civilisation...
..In terms of security, communitarianism is a universal security concept, transcending the ‘balance of power’ and ‘collective security’ frameworks. In terms of development, communitarianism emphasises common development, surpassing the ‘zero-sum’ and ‘liberal’ development models. In terms of civilisation, communitarianism embraces civilisational integration, moving beyond the ‘clash of civilisations’ and ‘multiculturalism.’ In terms of state relations, communitarianism advocates for partnerships, surpassing alliances and non-alignment.”
“Communitarianism represents a new path for globalisation, with the following strategic initiatives:
1. Pursue a new path of ‘open and shared’ (开放共享) globalisation, transcending the ‘divide and conquer’ (人以群分) and ‘each to their own’ (各自为战) approach to globalisation. The economies, technologies, and cultures of countries worldwide are already deeply integrated. We must oppose the use of decoupling and supply chain disruptions as geopolitical weapons and reject supply chains built on so-called shared values.”
“2. Pursue a new path of ‘common development’ in globalisation, transcending the ‘zero-sum competition’ approach to globalisation…The traditional model of government-to-government development cooperation, mainly through international trade and development aid, still faces issues of global development failures and market failures. The Belt and Road Initiative is a new model of intergovernmental cooperation. China engages in strategic alignment and planning coordination with countries along the Belt and Road, building development partnerships…”
“3. Pursue a new path of ‘people-centred’ globalisation (以人民为中心”的全球化), transcending the ‘capital-centred’ (以资本为中心) approach to globalisation. Capital-centred globalisation is driven by the pursuit of capital profits, serving the free operation and flow of capital, making more efficient money, and is the root of unbalanced and insufficient globalisation… The new globalisation must shift from being capital-centred to being people-centred… First, the new globalisation transcends the simple pursuit of profit maximisation… Second, we should guide capital to go global in alignment with national strategies…state-owned capital is the main force driving the new globalisation, with a stronger political orientation, pushing forward many national cooperation projects that are high-risk, long-term, and have small profit margins.”
“4. Pursue a new path of balanced globalisation, transcending the unbalanced globalisation model. China does not seek the extra profits that come from unbalanced globalisation but rather achieves its development through shared progress with the world.”
“5. Pursue a new path of ‘equal-autonomous’ (平等-自主) globalisation, transcending the ‘dominant-dependent’ (支配-依附) globalisation model. China has experienced colonialism and imperialism and deeply understands the challenges developing countries face in an unequal globalisation system…This new path of globalisation requires that no country seek to dominate others, that each country respects the independence of others, does not interfere in their internal affairs, and does not attach political conditions to aid and cooperation.”
“6. Pursue a new path of ‘diverse’ globalisation, transcending the ‘uniform’ globalisation model. Traditional globalisation followed a path of uniformity, attempting to ‘Westernise’ the world…The process of ‘localised’ globalisation means that the new globalisation itself will be diverse, taking on different forms. It is a two-way process, involving both giving and receiving.” https://www.sinification.com/p/yan-yilong-on-american-hegemony-part-608
“Communitarianism represents a new path for globalisation, with the following strategic initiatives:
1. Pursue a new path of ‘open and shared’ (开放共享) globalisation, transcending the ‘divide and conquer’ (人以群分) and ‘each to their own’ (各自为战) approach to globalisation. The economies, technologies, and cultures of countries worldwide are already deeply integrated. We must oppose the use of decoupling and supply chain disruptions as geopolitical weapons and reject supply chains built on so-called shared values.”
“2. Pursue a new path of ‘common development’ in globalisation, transcending the ‘zero-sum competition’ approach to globalisation…The traditional model of government-to-government development cooperation, mainly through international trade and development aid, still faces issues of global development failures and market failures. The Belt and Road Initiative is a new model of intergovernmental cooperation. China engages in strategic alignment and planning coordination with countries along the Belt and Road, building development partnerships…”
“3. Pursue a new path of ‘people-centred’ globalisation (以人民为中心”的全球化), transcending the ‘capital-centred’ (以资本为中心) approach to globalisation. Capital-centred globalisation is driven by the pursuit of capital profits, serving the free operation and flow of capital, making more efficient money, and is the root of unbalanced and insufficient globalisation… The new globalisation must shift from being capital-centred to being people-centred… First, the new globalisation transcends the simple pursuit of profit maximisation… Second, we should guide capital to go global in alignment with national strategies…state-owned capital is the main force driving the new globalisation, with a stronger political orientation, pushing forward many national cooperation projects that are high-risk, long-term, and have small profit margins.”
“4. Pursue a new path of balanced globalisation, transcending the unbalanced globalisation model. China does not seek the extra profits that come from unbalanced globalisation but rather achieves its development through shared progress with the world.”
“5. Pursue a new path of ‘equal-autonomous’ (平等-自主) globalisation, transcending the ‘dominant-dependent’ (支配-依附) globalisation model. China has experienced colonialism and imperialism and deeply understands the challenges developing countries face in an unequal globalisation system…This new path of globalisation requires that no country seek to dominate others, that each country respects the independence of others, does not interfere in their internal affairs, and does not attach political conditions to aid and cooperation.”
“6. Pursue a new path of ‘diverse’ globalisation, transcending the ‘uniform’ globalisation model. Traditional globalisation followed a path of uniformity, attempting to ‘Westernise’ the world…The process of ‘localised’ globalisation means that the new globalisation itself will be diverse, taking on different forms. It is a two-way process, involving both giving and receiving.” https://www.sinification.com/p/yan-yilong-on-american-hegemony-part-608
As soon as October, Russia's long-awaited international BRICS payment system will be ready to go with some 159 countries said to be in the process of ditching the U.S. dollar as their official settlement currency...
..Russia was banned from SWIFT following its invasion of Ukraine, but now there is a new system emerging from BRICS that threatens to make SWIFT obsolete.
If the new payment system is a success, it will render Federal Reserve Notes (FRNs) obsolete as well. The world will no longer be held hostage by the so-called petrodollar, which reports warn could have massive global market ramifications.
The West's continued sanctions on Russia have only hastened the speed at which Russia is developing this new BRICS payment system. Its design will promote local currencies and alternative settlement methods that sidestep the U.S. dollar entirely.
Elvira Nabiullina, the governor of Russia's central bank, says 159 countries are ready to adopt the new BRICS payment system once it goes live. It will serve as an expansion to Russia's System for Transmitting Financial Messages (SPFS) platform as well as "an alternative to SWIFT."
"Similar infrastructure exists in some other countries," Nabiullina commented. "We are holding discussions on the interaction of such platforms, but here the interest and technical readiness of our partners are important." https://www.naturalnews.com/2024-08-20-petrodollar-159-countries-adopt-brics-payment-system.html
The West's continued sanctions on Russia have only hastened the speed at which Russia is developing this new BRICS payment system. Its design will promote local currencies and alternative settlement methods that sidestep the U.S. dollar entirely.
Elvira Nabiullina, the governor of Russia's central bank, says 159 countries are ready to adopt the new BRICS payment system once it goes live. It will serve as an expansion to Russia's System for Transmitting Financial Messages (SPFS) platform as well as "an alternative to SWIFT."
"Similar infrastructure exists in some other countries," Nabiullina commented. "We are holding discussions on the interaction of such platforms, but here the interest and technical readiness of our partners are important." https://www.naturalnews.com/2024-08-20-petrodollar-159-countries-adopt-brics-payment-system.html
In a post on X on Tuesday, Musk signaled to Trump: “I am willing to serve.” One user suggested naming a department that Musk could head in the US government as the “Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)” – an apparent reference to the ‘Doge meme’ and the eponymous Dogecoin cryptocurrency. Commenting on the idea, the billionaire jokingly replied that this is the “perfect name.” https://www.rt.com/news/602849-musk-willing-serve-trump-government/
Longtime journalist, now blogger, John Ward, "The Slog", has intimated that a NYC pollster trusted-source, tells him that poll results give Harris 30% and Trump 70%.
Kamala Harris Suffers Triple Polling Blow Before DNC Starts, Vice President Kamala Harris has suffered a triple blow after two recently released surveys put her behind Donald Trump in the key swing state of Pennsylvania, while a third showed her trailing the Republican presidential candidate at the national level. https://www.newsweek.com/kamala-harris-suffers-triple-polling-blow-before-dnc-convention-1940947
The betting odds for the winner of 2024’s presidential election currently stand at 51 percent (21/20) for Trump, and 48 (11/10) percent for Harris.
This is despite (because of?) the fact that more bets have been taken out on Harris in the past 24 hours (40 percent of bets) as voters across the United States tune in to the Democratic National Convention this week. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-harris-betting-odds-polls-b2599650.html
Big Serge, Back to the Bloodlands: Operation Krepost, Russo-Ukrainian War: The Kursk Operation
..Krepost ultimately reflects a growing Ukrainian frustration with the trajectory of the war in the east, where the AFU has grown weary of the industrial slugfest with its bigger and more powerful neighbor. By flinging a secretly assembled mechanized package at a lightly defended and previously ancillary sector of front, they briefly managed to reopen mobile operations, but the window of mobility was far too small and the gains far too meager. It has now become clear that the decision to divert forces to Kursk has undermined the already precarious defense of the Donbas. Ukraine hold Sudzha and may very well clear the south bank of the Seim, but if it comes at the expense of Pokrovsk and Toretsk, that is a trade that the Russian Army will be happy to make.
The AFU is expending carefully husbanded and scarce resources in the pursuit of operationally inconsequential objectives. The exhilaration of taking the fight to Russia and being on the attack again can certainly work wonders for morale and create a spectacle for western backers, but the effect is short lived - like a broke man gambling away his last dollar, all for the momentary thrill of chance. https://bigserge.substack.com/p/back-to-the-bloodlands-operation
The AFU is expending carefully husbanded and scarce resources in the pursuit of operationally inconsequential objectives. The exhilaration of taking the fight to Russia and being on the attack again can certainly work wonders for morale and create a spectacle for western backers, but the effect is short lived - like a broke man gambling away his last dollar, all for the momentary thrill of chance. https://bigserge.substack.com/p/back-to-the-bloodlands-operation
Simplicius, Qatar "Talks" Just Another Ukrainian Perception Management Diversion
..But now there’s even another old escalatory master plan being tediously revived: the Transnistria gambit. Suddenly, from several seemingly coordinated vectors at once, we’ve had signals that Ukraine may soon attempt to enflame the Transnistria corridor in their attempt to drown Russia in chaos from every side, perhaps imagining they will freeze the Russian general staff in a kind of indecision crisis doom spiral.
Here we have Ukrainian charity Come Back Alive head Taras Chmut dropping a hint:
This was suddenly followed by Moldovan ex-Defense Minister Anatole Shalaru declaring that Moldova and Ukraine should jointly “solve” the Transnistria issue once and for all sometime soon...
USAF Orders Ramp Up of JASSM, LRASM Air-Launched Missiles Production F-16 deployable, these would be able to strike deep within Russia, and are very stealthy..
The development comes amid reports that the Biden administration is considering arming Ukrainian F-16s with the air-launched JASSM cruise missile, capable of striking targets 230 miles (370 kilometers) away.Here we have Ukrainian charity Come Back Alive head Taras Chmut dropping a hint:
This was suddenly followed by Moldovan ex-Defense Minister Anatole Shalaru declaring that Moldova and Ukraine should jointly “solve” the Transnistria issue once and for all sometime soon...
..And then there were other small hints on rumor mill channels like Rezident UA, etc., that Ukraine is considering opening up that front to stoke the flames against Russia’s war.
Of course, as before, this is now the fourth or fifth time Ukraine has threatened to stoke that theater into conflict, and most likely it will come to naught again, but it’s something to keep an eye on as Ukraine enters the ninth inning.
Also, Ukraine has telegraphed its own intentions in the coming nuclear falseflag Zelensky potentially plans to carry out. https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/qatar-talks-just-another-ukrainian
Of course, as before, this is now the fourth or fifth time Ukraine has threatened to stoke that theater into conflict, and most likely it will come to naught again, but it’s something to keep an eye on as Ukraine enters the ninth inning.
Also, Ukraine has telegraphed its own intentions in the coming nuclear falseflag Zelensky potentially plans to carry out. https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/qatar-talks-just-another-ukrainian
The AGM 158 JASSM extended range (ER) has over twice the range of the baseline variant at 620 miles (998 kilometers), while a newly developed variant, the AGM-158D, has a range of 1,200 miles (1,931 kilometers).
It is not clear which JASSM variant the US administration is considering sending to Ukraine. However, the reported warhead weight of 1,000 pounds (453 kilograms) makes it likelier to be the ER variant.
The stealthy missile features a penetrator/blast fragmentation warhead to take out hardened targets, precision routing, and an infrared seeker to perform in adverse weather and at night, in addition to an anti-jam GPS. https://www.thedefensepost.com/2024/08/20/usaf-jassm-lrasm-missiles/
Ukraine’s parliament voted on Tuesday on a bill that would ban the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), which has historic links to Russia but severed ties with the Moscow Patriarchate following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The UOC has also denounced the Russian invasion, but these steps were not enough for Ukrainian officials, who still accuse it of having ties with Moscow. The crackdown on the UOC has involved church raids, the arrest of priests, and the eviction of clergy from the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, also known as the Monastery of the Caves.
The legislation would allow Ukrainian authorities to ban the UOC by prohibiting the activity of the Russian Orthodox Church or any religious groups tied to it. https://news.antiwar.com/2024/08/20/ukrainian-parliament-votes-to-ban-orthodox-church-with-historic-ties-to-russia/
The UOC has also denounced the Russian invasion, but these steps were not enough for Ukrainian officials, who still accuse it of having ties with Moscow. The crackdown on the UOC has involved church raids, the arrest of priests, and the eviction of clergy from the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, also known as the Monastery of the Caves.
The legislation would allow Ukrainian authorities to ban the UOC by prohibiting the activity of the Russian Orthodox Church or any religious groups tied to it. https://news.antiwar.com/2024/08/20/ukrainian-parliament-votes-to-ban-orthodox-church-with-historic-ties-to-russia/
The same playbook: Peter McCullough MD US HHS Declaration of Emergency for all Influenza A Strains, Paves the Way for mRNA Seasonal and Bird Flu Vaccines https://petermcculloughmd.substack.com/p/us-hhs-declaration-of-emergency-for
Steve Kirsch, Merck MMR case ruling: "You can defraud the American people when government agencies go along with it"
An Appeals Court has ruled that it is OK for drug companies to make false claims as long as the regulators don't object. This has huge negative implications for whistleblowers going forward. https://kirschsubstack.com/p/merck-mmr-case-ruling-you-can-defraudSasha Latypova shows 3-D computer models of structures. Pandemic Preparedness Racket and DOD, Similarities between "spike protein" and synthetic anthrax toxin. https://sashalatypova.substack.com/p/some-similarities-between-spike-protein
If you or somebody you know contracts Monkeypox, do not take ivermectin, which would worsen the illness by reducing Gamma Interferon levels. https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/breaking-ivermectin-users-will-likely-suffer-severe-or-lethal-mpox-infection-due-to-diminished-interferon-gamma
Bicycles are an efficient mode of human transportation. Ask Amsterdam, old London, China, and India: India's schoolgirls are leading a silent cycling revolution
Cycling to school in rural areas doubled over the decade, while in urban areas, it remained steady. Indian city roads are notoriously unsafe, with low urban cycling to school linked to poor traffic safety and more cars on the road.
India’s cycling revolution is most substantial in villages, with states like Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, and Chhattisgarh leading the growth. These states have populations comparable to some of the largest European countries. Cycling was most common for longer distances in rural areas than in urban areas, the study found.
India began reporting cycling behaviour for the first time only in the last Census in 2011. Only 20% of those travelling to work outside home reported cycling as their main mode of transport. But people in villages cycled more (21%) than in the cities (17%).
Also, more working men (21.7%) than their female counterparts (4.7%) cycled to work. “Compared to international settings, this level of gender gap in cycling is among the highest in the world,” says Ms Agrawal.
American suffragist Susan B Anthony famously said that the bicycle “has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives women a feeling of freedom and self-reliance". https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3g98lgyj38o
Bicyclist (in browning late August garden around sunrise)
No comments:
Post a Comment